Ad Placement: When To Speak Up

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and they sat you at a table you didn't like? Maybe it was wobbly, next to a busy doorway, with the AC blasting too strong above you - we've all been there.

You probably didn’t ask for that table; you either didn't have a choice because it was the only one available, or when they asked if you had a preference where to sit, you said it doesn't matter, and they were glad you didn't care because they had less-desirable space to fill.

If they had other tables free, and you said you’d prefer a different one, why wouldn’t they give it to you? They gave you a choice, you spoke up about what you wanted.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

The same thing happens with digital advertising. Be it Google Ads, Meta Ads, whichever platform we’re talking about, they love when you're not picky about where your ads show, because they have plenty of space available that no one is fighting over.

Of course they will say it shouldn't matter, you should focus on the outcome, and there is some truth to that. There are some ad placements that are cheaper simply because there is less competition for them, and if they do drive results for you, that’s a win. Just like how the restaurant will say the food tastes the same at any table, so whichever spot they pick for you will be perfectly fine.

So What?

It's easy for them to say what you should do with your money, like spending your budget on ads with no transparency around where they show them. But you’re entitled to some input about how your brand is represented.

That’s not being high maintenance; it’s advocating what’s best for you. You pay the ad platform to show ads, you’re their customer, and it’s not unreasonable to know what you’re buying.

If you’ve seen the movie The Big Short, you’ll recall the “CDO”, which is a bundle of low-quality investments in a black box which Anthony Bourdain likened to a seafood stew made of old fish sold as “a whole new thing”. Ad platforms do something similar where they bundle up their lower value placements with the higher value placements and promote it as a positive-sounding feature, like “Performance Max” or “Advantage Plus”. They sound good, but contain some surprises...

At IBA, a big part of our job is unearthing data and giving you clarity on what you bought, then making continuous improvements to get you more bang for your buck.

If you feel like you're getting the leftovers, maybe it's time you had a marketing partner speak up for what you want. To learn more about what makes us tick, visit our About Us page or drop us a line anytime!